In Dubai, B-school set up by Indian entrepreneur offers 4-year business course across seven countries

Dubai, Sep 7 (PTI) Setting up an e-commerce business in Dubai, a D2C brand in India, a 'kickstarter' in Singapore and Malaysia, and businesses across Ghana, the US, Argentina and Europe --- this is not a businessman’s wishlist but part of the four-year undergraduate curriculum at the Tetr College of Business here.

The B-school founded by education entrepreneur Pratham Mittal welcomed its second cohort of students this week.

The first set of 110 students built 44 ventures across Dubai and India, generating over USD 300,000 in revenue. Startups such as ServeClub (pickleball gear) and CosMoss (sea moss-based supplements) raised angel funding from big investors.

Tetr's flagship four-year Bachelor’s in Management and Technology programme takes learners to India, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Ghana, the US, Argentina, and Europe, combining academics with real-world entrepreneurship.

While the students receive degrees from the UK's Middlesex University, the base camp for the programme is in Dubai.

"This is an undergraduate programme where we are trying to go beyond exams, lectures, slides, grades, attendance and books, which is what students usually do. In each term, rather than sitting in classes full day and taking exams, students are required to build a business in each semester which is planned in a different country," Mittal told PTI.

"So, they will have to build an e-commerce business in Dubai. After this, they will go to India where they will build a D2C brand. Then they will go to Singapore where they actually have to build a Kickstarter," he said.

"Then term four, they have to build a new business in Malaysia and later in Ghana, US and Europe.  Rather than their marks or grades, their revenue, margin and profit are the real metrics on which they are evaluated," he added.

Mittal explained that the B-school has partnered with premier institutions — including IITs in India, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Cornell University in the US — to deliver academic modules, while its curriculum requires students to launch businesses in different markets every semester.

"The students travel to seven different countries and the seven countries are chosen in a way that half of them are developed countries and half of them are developing countries. So, they get a flavour of the entire world, the entire diversity," he said.

"Over four years, students will travel across seven regions learning to launch hardware products in Singapore, tap into Silicon Valley’s tech ecosystem, and build D2C ventures in India. Along the way, they will study at elite institutions such as IIT (India), NUS (Singapore) and Cornell (US), blending real-world projects with top-tier academics.

"They will be guided by a world-class faculty and mentor network from MIT, Harvard, NASA and Airtel. Replacing conventional grades, Tetr evaluates students on real business outcomes - revenue growth, customer acquisition and market reach," he said.

The Class of 2029 at Tetr brings together 200 students from 50 countries, double the size of last year’s inaugural cohort.

The group includes an American speed skating and swimming national competitor who invented 3D-printed biodegradable shoes, a German 3D designer and video editor with clients including Forbes 30 Under 30, and a Mexican tennis prodigy and best-selling author.

An Indian kickboxer adds to the mix, alongside a Saudi racer stepping up to Formula 4 with sponsorships.

Other standout profiles feature a Qatari youth entrepreneur mentoring 10,000+ in e-commerce, a Portuguese student accepted to Carnegie Mellon and MIT, and a Brazilian tutoring founder scaling AI for corporate use.

Together, these students reflect Tetr’s mission to nurture globally-minded builders ready to turn bold ideas into impactful ventures.

"With an average SAT score of 1490, several students turned down offers from prestigious institutions such as Carnegie Mellon, MIT, King’s College London, Northeastern University, UMass Boston, University of Warwick, and the University of Washington to join Tetr.

"The batch includes nine national-level athletes across cricket, football, kickboxing, go-karting, jiu-jitsu, golf, and gymnastics, and collectively commands a social media following of over one million. Thirty per cent of the batch has already tried their hands at entrepreneurship," he said.

Mittal, whose Rajya Sabha MP father Ashok Mittal set up the Punjab-based Lovely Professional University, is also the man behind the India-based B-school, Masters’ Union, launched in September 2021.

A Wharton School of Business alumnus, Mittal said, "We have seen tremendous momentum since the launch of our first cohort. Students not only built over 44 real ventures in their very first year but also went on to raise funding from respected investors".

"The strong outcomes have translated into a surge of interest, with applications rising sharply and our second cohort nearly doubling in size. Building a multi-country institution from the ground up has been a remarkable learning experience for us, and I believe these learnings will help us make our programmes even stronger for the new batch," he added. PTI GJS GRS GRS GRS